


jellyfish prince

by KLTurner



Category: IT (1990), IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Fluff, Hansbrough, M/M, a fruit or sth, also go get some water!!!, and some rest too cause it's important, done in collaboration with a friend, eat something nice, enjoy this stuff, i cav'r believe yall are sleeping on this pure ship, i put it in my english homework, take care of yoself, this is the cheesiest thing i've ever done, warning: so sweet your teeth migh fall out, whew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 22:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLTurner/pseuds/KLTurner
Summary: Ben Hanscon goes to the aquarium for the jellyfish, comes back for the pretty boy working in there.





	jellyfish prince

He went to this place every day since the beginning of summer. The aquarium of Derry isn’t exactly a place you’d like going to with your family more than just once. Ben visited it with his mother on the first day of summer vacation and was feeling slightly bored almost the whole time. Unlike the annoyingly excited bunch of toddlers he encountered at least twice. And of course, there was a rather serious reason he decided to keep going to this place time after time again.

Bill Denbrough was his name, as his name tag read, apparently one of the part-time workers of the place. Thin and pretty tall, handsome and nice-mannered, with a beautiful pair of lively green eyes and an adorable boyish smile, that could warm the hearts of even the rudest people who visited the place and complained about anything. Ben was honestly at a loss on how could anyone ever be rude to this embodiment of sunshine, and the ungrateful guests apparently understood their mistake soon enough too, because no one left the aquarium without a smile that summer.

_That’s just how Bill was, with a natural talent to bright people’s hearts._

He met Bill on an accident the day he went to that place for the first time. He didn’t believe in fate or all this supernatural stuff, much like he didn’t believe in love at first sight but…This sure was a happy accident, as the boy soon realized. It happened in the jellyfish tanks area, which will soon become his favorite place in the aquarium and not just for its unique beauty and pleasant silence that made Ben feel comfortable walking around. The jellyfish tanks were glowing with pretty colors and the neon lights in the room were dimmed. It was an issue on its own he supposed, he didn’t see very well where he was going and ended up smashing into another body so hard that it ended with them both falling down on the ground. Ben expected harsh yelling at him – as a rather chubby person he was used to that, he expected the person he ran into to insult him and his weight that got in the way or anything like that… But that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, there was a warm hand that helped him up and an apologetic smile from a beautiful face that was half-hidden in the dark but glowed in the right places thanks to the neon lights from tanks.

“S-s-sorry, sir…” There was an obvious stutter in the handsome boy’s voice, but Ben barely noticed it. He was too busy looking at his face instead of caring about his speech troubles, and then he opened his mouth like a fish without saying a word, and only after a moment he nodded shyly, thankful that no one could see the blush on his cheeks in the dimly lit hall. It was the first time Ben was beginning to doubt his beliefs towards fate, the day he met Bill. And it didn’t feel strange at all.

They have met each other for only one single moment and yet Ben didn’t really feel ready to let this gut slip away from his sight. It was almost as if something told him not to, almost as if meeting him was not just an accident. And it didn’t feel weird to him to suddenly start believing in supernatural afterwards. Ben had a plan, he was determined to keep coming back to the aquarium for the most obvious reason he was almost ready to admit to himself. Visiting that place every day was safe enough because he knew Bill was there, despite him occasionally being anxious that he won’t be: obviously part-time employees aren’t supposed to be there ay all times. And yet Bill was, always available for a small conversation since there weren’t many people to ask him about his actual job. Of course, it was extremely awkward at first, Ben thought that Bill might think he is a stalker or some kind of freak, but every time they made eye contact the sweet boy only returned him a warm smile and went back to his business.

It was all there was at the beginning, soft smiles and nodding on simple questions. But thanks to Ben being determined in sticking to his plan about coming back to the jellyfish tank hall every day and Bill being nice to him they managed to start making actual conversations as the days went by. Ben secretly wondered if Bill knew he was dying inside each time he returned a warm smile. Or about the way his hand burned at the touch every time, as they had their rare moments of closeness, like when their shoulders bumped together or Bill shook his hand. Bill once had asked him, why he was so determined at coming back every time, and Ben swallowed the urge to tell him the truth. Feeling the sour taste of fear crawl up his throat, fear of Bill growing tired of him, he got himself together quickly and brushed the scary thought away.

“it’s because of you, you know. I like you, I really do. I didn’t believe in things like fate ever before, and I didn’t even think that Derry could be a good place at all until I met you, you make me want to smile, to think about brighter things… To change the way I see my life.”

But then of course he felt like a coward, and a coward never reveals the truth easily…

“I have this, uhh… Biology project”

“B-but school is ov-over? “

…Even if it is painful.

Ben was not a good liar and he was thankful enough for Bill not being nosy about this stuff. He liked Bill, it was true, and he liked him even more now when he got the chance to know him better than before. Every new piece of information about him every day felt like solving a puzzle or reading a book in the library, but better. Because Bill was his favorite mystery. His own exiting puzzle, his only friend, his only…only…

It wasn’t too long before Ben started writing small poems about him. He wrote short secret stories he was a bit ashamed of, but continued writing them anyway. He sketched himself and Bill in the corner of his math notebook which he carried around every day, small scribbles and doodles of them holding hands together, with little hearts in the air. And fish, bubbles and jellyfish that swam around them. He liked the jellyfish sketches the most. It wasn’t just a crush what Ben felt for Bill, not anymore at least, no matter how other people would describe it, it just felt like more to him. He enjoyed the tender friendship they had, the way Bill would ask him if he wanted to feed the dolphins or help him fill the information about some species of corals in the tanks. And he enjoyed it, yes it was true, but he liked the boy more than that, he liked him in a way he didn’t even believe in. So he could only spill his heart in the poems he wrote for him secretly at night and place them in Bill’s bag when he wasn’t watching. One of them, a pastel blue note, with little shell stickers and fish drawings all around to make it look cuter, for which Ben almost silently cursed himself for acting so silly and girly.

_“hair softer than silk”_   
_“your face looks even better when dimmed”_   
_“I want to dive into your eyes and drown in your heart”_   
_“my jellyfish prince”_

The jellyfish drawing was there too, with a crown, colored in blue and other pretty colors, his best drawing so far. Ben would lie to himself if he said he wasn’t scared to send the note. Sure, it was anonymous but the possibility that Bill finds out it was him still existed. What if Bill discovered his embarrassing secret, would he be disgusted? Would he hate him? Would it ruin their friendship?

Ben really liked the jellyfish tanks, mostly because it was the place he first met Bill, so every time he entered the hall his heart felt a little warmer at the memory. He liked the lighting too, because not only did it look almost magical and even kind of futuristic on it’s own; he thought Bill was in his best beauty in that place. The neon lights on his face, the way the jellyfish reflected in his big blueish-green eyes… An aesthetic he couldn’t yet explain, but somehow knew that there was some way he could describe it.

For him, Bill _was_ the jellyfish prince. He found a way to mix his feelings and the aesthetic associated with the boy together in his poetry. As stupid as it sounded, it felt right to Ben, it sounded right, and he wanted to keep this all a secret at first, since it only made sense to him. Nobody else could understand because they couldn’t see Bill the way he did, his heart racing every time, with the thoughts about the moments they shared repeating in his head without an end.

He thought it’ll be okay if he just kept it a secret, if he just kept for himself. As long as Bill didn’t know, and it was better to keep him oblivious and happy. Denbrough was still his friend after all, and that was what made Ben happy too: joining him almost every morning and helping him around as they would make their way through the aquarium, feeling like the only people in the world full of blue lights and water and hundreds of species of exotic fish around them.Sometimes silently snickering at their own thoughts and the occasional inside jokes, none of them minding the slight tension in their relationship.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ben understood it was a beginning of young blooming love he felt for Bill. The way his fingers brushed against Bill’s hand, how he could smell the light perfume on him in the morning, Bill’s beautiful eyes shining with joy and the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. That was love. And it hit him so hard he had to hold every inch of self-control he had every time they met, just in order to stay still and not faint right there and then.

His copybook was full of information about the salmon species now, he memorized the behavior patterns of dolphins and the food pyramid of starfish to distract himself from what was on his mind most of the time anyway. The feelings were getting harder to ignore day by day. He longed to be with the boy, but he wasn’t selfish or confident enough to tell him that. they were friends most of all, and that was too important for Ben to go and risk everything they had because of the deeper feelings he had. That one day, only one month left for the summer, Bill came to his front yard with a fresh idea for Ben’s “school work”. He blinked at his friend’s cheerful smile, confused at the sudden interest in his “work”.

“I n-noticed some st-strange behavior in one the j-j-jellyfish tank t-today. Y-you wanna come and see? It’s kinda i-interesting, I think it’d b-be great for your p-project…”

Ben’s heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard about the jellyfish tanks. As much as he loved the place, he hasn’t been there too often, almost since the beginning of the summer. It even felt somewhat hard going back there, since all his favorite memories of it were connected to Bill. Ben could still remember the way he looked the first time they met… Snapping out of his unintentional daydream, he agreed to come.

When he reached the hall, to his surprise the room was darker than before, the lights were still dim and the tanks of the jellyfish glowed with a new set of colors, even prettier than before. But Bill was nowhere to be seen, although he seemed to have promised to wait for Ben inside. Since nobody was in the room, he decided to look at the strange behavior Bill mentioned. Looking inside the tank he saw a pair of small jellyfish circle around each other in what looked like a slow dance. It really was kind of cute, he had never seen the jellyfish doing this before, he only heard about this kind of thing that happens when they find their mate. The jellyfish kept swirling and dancing around each other, their colorful strings swim and twirl in circles like a futuristic ocean-themed music box figure, and Ben got lost in this beautiful moment of the couple in the fish tank. Too deep in his own thoughts, he sang out the words of his poem he remembered by heart. The one he sent to Bill on a blue note. Barely a whisper, the words left his lips and the next moment he felt familiar warm arms dressed in sleeves of red flannel hug him from behind.

Ben turned around with a slight jump of surprise to see Bill with the widest smile looking back at him, eyes twinkling with unfamiliar emotion.

“I knew i-it was you! I kn-new it!”

The words took him by surprise, mixed with the realization he recited it out loud. The poem’s words were out there in the air now, and he didn’t notice that Bill was behind him the whole time, how could he let this happen? How could he be so reckless? Did he ruin it? The amazing friendship they had or anything else by chance?

“I-i can explain!” he half yelled, feeling the rabid breathes rise in his chest and the sweat start to form in every part of his body. His face was heating up uncontrollably. The fear he felt was real, he felt like he was about to lose the best friendship he’s ever had. And the person he loved.

“I know you can.”

Bill didn’t even stutter and his voice was so soft, but Ben couldn’t think about that when Bill placed his warm lips on his, closing the space between them Ben didn’t realize was so small in the first place. The time seemed to move slowly, slower than the jellyfish dance in the tank and the soft waves of neon light on the walls. The colors reflected on Bill’s beautiful face again, the warm heat of the taller boy’s breath passed like electricity to Ben’s lips.

_He felt like he was drowning..._

Ben hadn’t even fully realized yet that the boy he’s been head over hells for was actually kissing him. Ben was drowning in the kiss… And when he did realize, Bill was about to pull back before Ben pushed their lips together again to the boy’s surprise. He breathed into the kiss and felt a small shudder that went through his body as the beating of his heart got quicker.

_He was drowning in the jellyfish dance…_

Pulling away, they just looked into each other’s eyes and it felt like the only thing they needed, the neon colors playing and dancing on their faces and mixed emotions. Bill looked away feeling insecure all of the sudden - an obvious hint he enjoyed it.

“Am I s-still y-your jellyfish p-prince?”

His blushing face was purple in the lights, he looked beautiful now more than ever, and Ben didn’t just nod this time, but answered in all honesty, for what seemed to be the first time.

“You were always my jellyfish prince. Since the day one. But how did you know?”

Ben didn’t feel scared; the love was blooming in his heart like the anemones on the ocean rocks deep under the sea. His heart felt fuller than the ocean itself and he was happier than ever because Bill was there with him and felt the same. The “jellyfish prince” laughed, with his hands still wrapped around Ben, he pulled him in again for a short cheeky kiss and closed his eyes, pulling back and just holding the smaller boy close.

Moving against each other in the dimly lit room, they swayed silently to the unknown beat of the dance they shared together. “N-next time, try to avoid putting n-notes in s-someone’s bag when y-you are alone, with n-no one else around to s-s-suspect.” Bill laughed softly, and so did Ben. And Ben closed his own eyes, entwining his fingers with Bill’s. The dance of the jellyfish in the tank nearby lasted for less than a few more minutes, but kept going on forever in the boys’ minds and hearts.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out karina's tumblr: the-bleeding-heart-bill  
> It's a Bill Denbrough fan blog and it's very good!


End file.
